A China Doll Love Story
by Crystal Volcheck
Summary: Rico met his first love in Guatemala 6 years ago and even if nothing is left of her save a china doll, he's not looking for a relationship. Only Marlene has other plans and wants to set him up with Shelley. If that wasn't enough, his doll goes missing and his nightmares return causing him to lose the already thin grip on reality he has. -humanized- 2nd installment of Park Avenue
1. Medication

**I got this up a lot faster than I thought I would, second chapter might take some time though. Anyway, if you've seen the episode Love Hurts you might remember the part where Skipper asks who hasn't gone stupid for a lady and Rico raises his flipper only to have Skipper say ****Guatemala and he puts his flipper down. Well I expanded that one line into a huge chunk of this story and Rico's past. There's still some Skilene in here, touches of Kico towards the end, nothing major, just enough that if you have your slash goggles on you'll see it, if not you'll see best friends being best friends.**

**Some warnings for this story: mentions of mental illness, mildly graphic descriptions of blood and gore, and some suggestive content. Nothing explicit so I won't have to jump the rating to M  
**

**All translations can be found at the bottom of the chapter.**

**Disclaimers: ****I have no claim to the rights of the Penguins of Madagascar, nor do I make any profit from writing this work of fiction, inspired by the Penguins of Madagacar.** Also all rights to Medication and Coming Back Down belong to Hollywood Undead 

* * *

**A China Doll Love Story**

**Chapter One: Medication**

_Oh no, how'd I sink so low?  
Ain't got the patience, I need my medication  
I need to crawl out, out of this hole now  
Before the darkness grabs a hold and takes my soul now -Hollywood Undead 'Medication'_

Something told Rico that it was going to be a weird day when he woke up, even if his routine had been normal so far (up at 6, risk life waking up Kowalski, fight Private for use of the bathroom, cook breakfast) call it instinct but something bad was brewing. No matter what Kowalski had to say, the supernatural was real, even if it wasn't such things as werewolves and vampires.

Thankfully, it was their hobby day, which meant he could sneak off to his studio and that would help put his mind at ease. He whistled a small tune as he set up the painting he'd been working on for years and mixed a few muted reds, the last few nights he had nightmares or maybe it would be better to call them memories. The room filled with a soul shattering silence once he stopped whistling, normally he wouldn't mind the silence but it left him with an unsettling feeling.

"_Down in the dirt/With your blood on my hands/I blacked out/But now I do understand/That you were too good/For this world so you left it"_

Better but not quite enough, a small half-smile pulled at his lips as he picked up the china doll sitting next to the CD player. The doll was all he had left of his first love, a dancer named Reina, he had met her on an undercover mission at the club where she worked in Guatemala. He had been 21, young and stupid; the mission lasted only 3 months more than enough time to fall in love and make a thousand promises. It had been the greatest three months of his life and even to this day he remembered waking up next to her every morning and the feel of her ruby painted lips on his skin.

He set the doll down carefully and moved back to the canvas, inspired. Reina, the name alone was enough to set his heart ablaze, for years he'd been trying to capture her beauty on canvas, but it never seemed to look right to him. It always seemed like he'd paint her long lush dark brown hair either too dark or not dark enough, other times it was her wide amber eyes causing the trouble. In his memory, they were sparkling with life and burning with passion, but in his painting, they always turned out dull with the shadow of death. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to get lost in his memories of her hoping that this would be the day he would get it right.

_It had been a typical Guatemalan summer night, just comfortable enough for bare skin and a single sheet in a small apartment with no air conditioning. Rico had caught his breath some time ago, but now found he was unable to sleep. Instead, he found himself running his hand through Reina's long sweat damp hair, which still smelled of the ginger shampoo that she used that morning during their shared shower._

"_¿Qué pasa mi amor?" her honey like voice was dripping with concern; he took his hand back and she sat up hair cascading down past her shoulders to cover her breasts and the sheet pooled at her hips._

"_No hay nada." He replied leaning over to capture her already kiss bruised lips as a gesture of comfort and apology._

"_No te me mientas." She was pushing him away, voice was sharp and filled with hurt. The guilt was over whelming. He should have known better, despite only being together for a month they knew each other as well as they knew themselves. _

"_Renia…"He found his voice failing him, but not for lack of trying. He took her hand and began to trace letters on to her skin, forming the sentences that would put her mind at ease. Just an hour later and they had written a hundred promises on each other's skin. Then just as they began to fall asleep she reached over and wrote three words over his heart, __I love you._

"Rico! Snap out of it, we have a civilian to rescue." Skipper's harsh voice pulled him back to the present and he snapped back into the perfect soldier or close enough to the perfect soldier. He was at least lucky that he hadn't actually started painting. "Marlene was on her way to the store when she spotted Shelley, who lost her glasses, tripped on a wet cement sign and somehow got stuck in an iron fence early this morning."

"Shelley? You mean the crazy ostrich girl?" Private asked as they made their way to the back alley where Marlene was waiting with Shelly.

"Do you really want that question added to your naïve question file, Private?"

"No, sir."

"Oh thank goodness you guys are here! Don't worry Shelly the Penguins will have you out in a jiffy. Do not panic." It was at that point Rico zoned out, just awaiting orders since that bad feeling had settled over him again.

"Hello." He rasped stepping forward to assess the situation and began to pull several small explosives from his pockets. Kowalski had developed after a mission escape nearly killed them; the explosives should heat the metal enough that that he would be able to cut the bars with wire cutters.

"Skipper he's going to blow her to bits!" He chose to ignore Marlene's protests and got to work, just because he was a little off mentally didn't mean he was completely unstable and would kill someone for the hell of it. He had already killed enough people when he was in Chile anyway and it wasn't something he got much enjoyment out of. However, that certainly didn't mean a little torture and violence was off the table.

"No Marlene, but he will blow your mind."

"Rico's an artist when it comes to explosives; actually he's an artist when it comes to anything." It was nice to know his team trusted his judgment. He stepped back and pressed the detonation button, sure enough it had worked and in just 5 snips he had removed the bars trapping Shelley. The woman tumbled back and blinked owlish at him.

"See?" He glanced over to see Skipper nudge Marlene playfully before looking back at Shelley, he felt a bit sorry for her. It wasn't that Shelley wasn't exactly pretty, if she changed up her style a bit she would actually look quite cute. Short dirty-blonde hair that was a mess of curls, light blue eyes, and freckles dusting her nose; it was simply that she came across a little crazy. "Alright boys time to slide out." Rico helped her to her feet and gave a small wave good-bye before falling last in line.

Once home, he retreated to his studio, that creeping feeling had gotten worse since that little rescue mission, and his head was starting to feel like it was splitting in two. Which was something he hadn't experienced in years, at least not since…no he couldn't go there. That was one memory he had all intention of keeping buried.

"Renia." The name fell from his lips and before he realized it he had picked that doll up and was holding it to his chest, running his hand over the blonde painted hair and down the pink silk dress. At one point the doll smelled like Reina, a bittersweet combination cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. When he had first spent the night with her she had made chai tea in the morning and it was then that he spotted the doll on the table. She had apologized and explained it had been a gift from her father before he had passed away and that her dream growing up was to collect all the china dolls she could. Sometimes she would carry it around the apartment and talk to it when she was painting, when he had asked her about it she only replied that in a way, they were dolls, controlled by fate.

Rico set the doll back down and collected his paints, maybe if he could hold on to all the good memories he could forget the bad ones. He dipped the brush in to some red paint, red as freshly spilled blood and touched the brush to the canvas. That single stroke was all it took and he fell in to that perfect trance, that perfect harmony that is only reached through creating.

"Rico?" Kowalski's voice reached his ears and pulled him from his work, the genius had sounded horrified and concerned. "Are you okay?" For a second he was confused. How long he had been painting? Certainly long enough for his back to start hurting, he stepped back to look at his friend but caught sight of his painting first.

Everything was red, the entire scene constructed in all shades and tones of red. There was a soft rattle as the brush he was holding hit the floor and he fell to his knees seconds later. He had finally painted Reina, but why had he painted her like this? She was in her costume on stage at the club she had worked at and was stunning, hauntingly beautiful with one hand extending out to the audience. Only her face wasn't smooth and peaceful, instead it was twisted in to a scream and her neck was cut wide open.

His world was spinning and his mind barely registered Kowalski running over to him. "You forgot to take your medication again, didn't you?" It always amazed him how calm the older man managed to stay in these situations, then again he usually wasn't the one out of his head in these situations. "Stay with me Rico, just long enough to answer me question. Did you forget to take your medication today?"

**Wake up at six, risk life waking up Kowalski, fight Private for use of the bathroom, **_medication, _**and cook breakfast. **

"Yep." The word came out surprisingly clear despite how tight his throat felt, Kowalski hummed and slipped an arm around his back.

"Let's get you out of here and cleaned up." After struggling to stand on his feet everything became a blur and he could hardly recall what had happened other than Kowalski jabbing him with a needle and then dragging him to bed. He blinked over at the man sitting by his bedside with a book in hand, his mind growing cloudy; Kowalski must have given him a sedative.

"Doll?" That one word fell from his lips before everything went black.

When he woke the next morning, he'd gotten a stern lecture from both Skipper and Kowalski, especially when he admitted that he might have forgotten more than one dose of his medication. Although after Private had darted out the door from all the yelling their tones had gotten surprisingly calmer.

"Look, Rico, you have been through more than any human being should ever be through and there is no one who could come out of what you came out of with all their marbles. But you have to keep it together or CENTRAAL will put you away for good and that's the last thing I want to see happen." Skipper's words caused guilt to sweep through him; he owed both Skipper and Kowalski his life. "Now just as you're in charge of getting Kowalski's ass out of bed in the morning, he's going to be in charge of your medication. I hope that we won't have another repeat of what happened last night. Be ready in 20 minutes, we're going for a run." After Skipper left Kowalski handed him a glass of water and his medications for the day after proof that he had swallowed it the two got ready in silence at least until Kowalski broke it.

"If you ever want to talk about what happened in Guatemala, I'm more than willing to listen. In fact it might help if you talk to someone about it." Rico only nodded, not sure, if he'd ever take Kowalski up on that offer, even if the genius was actually his best friend.

They were just coming back from their jog, when Shelley came running over to the front of their apartment guitar in hand and upon seeing Rico began to sing.

"Oh I'm a freako for Rico! I'll give him a kiss on the cheeko! Then I'll do a silly dance for this flightless bird romance! Oh I'm a freako for Rico! A SECOND VERSE!" Rico stared in horror before bolting into the apartment, not wanting to hear anymore. Then as if that awkward experience wasn't enough, not even 2 hours later she was ringing their doorbell again to drop off a sculpture of him made out of gum and a card that she had drawn with them kissing on the front. It seemed like Shelley was completely serious about wanting to give him a kiss on the cheeko and then some. This was exactly what he didn't need, who the hell thought he needed to be in a relationship anyway? Only one person came to mind. Marlene.

* * *

Translations

¿Qué pasa mi amor?-What's wrong my love?

No hay nada-Nothing

No me mientas-Don't lie to me


	2. Got These Feelings

**This chapter is a little dark at the end, it is also from Shelly's POV, then the next (final) chapter will be back to Rico. Also there will be various one-shots and drabbles set in the Park Avenue verse coming up, you will be able to find those as well as the full stories in the new Park Avenue Community I created. (A better description is in the works for that.) I do want to take another minute to explain that the chapters overlap each other, this one begins with Shelly being set free and the next chapter will pick up right where it left off after Freak-o for Rico, following the same timeline as this chapter, only it's Rico's side.**

**I want to let everyone know that the 3rd installment is based on In the Line of Doody and I've been re-watching tPoM episodes and have found few that I can rework for Park Avenue, which means I'll be posting a poll on my profile in the near future so be ready to vote.**

**Once again,some warnings for this story: mentions of mental illness, mildly graphic descriptions of blood and gore, and some suggestive content. No so much in this chapter, but again the end is a bit dark with heavy implications.  
**

* * *

**A China Doll Love Story**

**Chapter Two: Got These Feelings**

_I don't think it's very nice _  
_To walk around my head all night _  
_You got me tangled like a bread-tie twisted _  
_I don't think it's fair - Cage the Elephant "Walk Around My Head"_

Shelly fell back on to the sidewalk as the bars were cut away, just thankful to be free at least until she looked up and saw her Knight in Shining armor. Her mind seemed to freeze in that moment and she forgot how to speak. Everything about him screamed bad boy the scars, the mohawk, and the muscles, oh those muscles! He wordless offered her his hand and pulled her to her feet before waving goodbye. Couldn't he have stayed long enough for her to get his name? Wait, Marlene was good friends with the Penguins, at least it she assumed she was from all the times she had seen the brunette running over there.

"Wow, that Douglas is quite a man, don't you think?"

"Douglas? Oh, you mean Rico, right? The guy who's tall, tan has scars and is also sort of scary looking." Shelly nearly melted, even his name sounded attractive and daring. "Wait, do you like Rico?" the disbelief in Marlene's voice was a little off-putting, but maybe she wasn't in to the bad boy type and that was for the better.

"It doesn't matter though, there's no chance a dashing, brave, and handsome guy like Rico would ever go for a gawky, gangly girl like me." That was the truth; no guy could ever like her, she had been convinced of that her senior year of high school when she had been the only one her group of friends to never have a date or boyfriend. Even through college, she had hoped that there would be at least one guy who'd ask her out for coffee, but was always alone in the library.

"I'm sorry, it's just Rico? You like Rico? Well, you know what? I can kinda see it and I don't think he's seeing anyone. You have a fair shot at it." A smile broke out across Shelly's face at Marlene's words. She had a chance! "Listen, all you have to do is find an appropriate way to tell Rico how you feel."

"Appropriate, I can do that." Her mind was already racing with a hundred ideas; she'd definitely have to run to the store and buy some gum. After saying good-bye to Marlene and making a quick run to the store, she found herself back at her apartment staring longing out the window at the Penguin's apartment building. Tomorrow she would make her first move and Rico would be hers.

That had been an utter disaster, she had waited almost two hours for Rico and then he had fled before she started the second voice. Then when she had stopped by a second time, Skipper had answered and told her that Rico was unavailable. When she had inquired, further he had simply said that Rico was currently involved with someone else. Which couldn't be true, Marlene had told her that Rico wasn't seeing anyone. It was like high school all over again. She was on her way to work when she overheard Skipper and Marlene talking or more like arguing.

"Why did you do it Marlene? Why did you fill that daffy girl's head with the absurd notion that she and Rico could be an item?"

"They would make a very cute couple. Come on!"

"No chance, Rico's heart belongs to another."

"The doll Skipper? That's crazy!"

"Marlene, we're talking about Rico, crazy is just the top layer of that parfait." Shelly was confused and a little weirded out to say the least. Was it possible that Rico was really in love with a doll? She had watched shows where people had relationships with inanimate objects, but she really didn't think that it was possible.

That night she sat waiting by the window of her apartment with the blinds down and binoculars in hand, just hoping for one glimpse of Rico and this doll she had heard about. It was nearing midnight when she saw a silhouette on the roof of the Penguin's apartment. And there Rico was, waltzing with a doll in a pink dress.

"It's true…he loves a doll." Panic filled Shelly and she couldn't watch any longer something inside snapping. "This is totally insane because he should be in love with me." There had to be a way to get rid of that doll, because there was no way Rico would so much as look at her as long as that doll was around. And there was no way in hell she was going to let a doll get picked over her. Hadn't Marlene once mentioned that the Penguins left their door unlocked in case of an emergency? Which meant she could just sneak over and steal the doll right from under Rico's nose; then he would have to pay attention to her.

The plan was flawless, and she could get a look about the apartment and find out more about Rico. She waited two days before going through with it, hoping that maybe he would come to his senses before she would have to resort to theft, but that was asking for too much.

Upon entering the apartment she found herself a bit surprised, she had assumed that each of the men would have their own floors, instead of an open floor plan on each level. "Jackpot! Oh, I had no idea he was an artist, seems my bad boy has a sensitive side after all." She whispered to herself upon entering the common area and seeing the doll on the couch next to an open sketchbook. It looked like he had been drawing some type of dancer, but had scribbled over it making it hard to tell. A part of her really wanted to poke around some more, but now that she had the doll, there was no point in hanging around.

The next morning Shelly found herself staring at the doll, which had spent the night on her kitchen table. It really was a beautiful china doll, not what she had been expecting when Marlene said Rico was in love with a doll, it seemed like he had really taken care of it.

"Look, Rico and I are meant to be together, you understand." Something in Shelly's mind told her she was crazy for talking to a piece of porcelain wrapped in silk, but the way the doll's blue eyes were painted made her feel like it was alive in some way. Now that was an unsettling thought, she picked the doll up and for a moment considered throwing it to the floor so it would shatter and she'd never have to worry about it again. Only it felt wrong to break it, after all Rico seemed to have some major attachment to it. "Shoot I'm going to be late for work."

"Until we find your dolly, you can cuddle with my Lunacorn." Private's voice caught her attention as she made her way to the Penguin's apartment, she had been anxious to see how her plan was working and she turned the corner in time to see the youngest hold out a large purple plush unicorn, which Rico shook his head at, it broke her heart a bit seeing how down he looked.

"I just want my dolly."

"Buck up solider, I'm sure she'll turn up. Why don't you take a walk and clear your head, we'll give HQ another look."

"Okay." The three went back to the apartment and she backtracked ducking into the alley before Rico spotted her on the corner. Once he was passed her, she ran to meet up with him.

"Oh, hey Rico! What's got you down? Lost your girlfriend? You know if you're the market for a rebound relationship, I know a certain someone who could help you out. Hint. It's me."

"Heh,um…gotta go." Okay that was a little disconcerting, she thought as he began to walk away from her, a bit faster than necessary.

"Rico how amazing is it that I just ran into you and wasn't watching your every mo-OOF." Shelly tripped paying too much attention to Rico instead of where she was walking. Normally she would be embarrassed, but walking him practically run away from her only brought annoyance. Maybe she would have to rethink her plan.

"Hey, how's it going? I apologize for the earlier attitude. In fact I'd like to be friends, what do you think about that?" In the back of her mind, she knew she lost it if she was talking to that doll as if it was a person. However, there had to be a reason why Rico loved it so much. "Great! So Rico, he's so focused. Any tips on getting his attention?" A long silence passed as she watched the doll intently, its perky smile seemed to be turning into a haughty smirk. "What you think he's focused on you? As if. That's totally…true." She sighed in defeat, how could Rico not notice her? Was she that undesirable that a guy would pick a doll over her?

No, she couldn't just throw in the towel, it had only been a day, Rico would forget about that stupid doll. She should just throw the damn thing away now, that way there was zero chance he'd find it. Maybe if he didn't forget about the doll in a few days, she could return it, making up some story about finding it in the trash and then he'd repay her with a date.

She stuffed the doll in her closet and waited as that one day turned in to two, then three, and throughout those three days Shelly saw less and less of Rico. Although when she did see him, he seemed to be warming up to her, maybe he had started to forget about the doll and would soon be asking her out. Or so she thought.

It was two in the morning when she heard the sirens, normally she would roll over and fall back asleep, but the sirens seemed to be getting closer and closer. Then came the yelling and hurried footsteps throughout the building prompting her to get up and grab a robe. Upon opening the door, she caught a glimpse of Marlene turning the corner of the stairs. She was quick to follow, her mouth dropping open in surprise as she joined Marlene outside. All of Park Avenue was standing outside watching as paramedics loaded one of the Penguins into an ambulance.

"He's my partner, I'm coming with him." Kowalski snapped at one of the paramedics, climbing in the back before they could stop him. Shelly's stomach dropped, what could have possibly happened? As far as everyone was convinced, the four men were practically invincible. Once the ambulance left everyone turned to Skipper who was standing on the sidewalk, an arm around Private's shoulders as the younger man clutched his plush unicorn against his chest. Which meant Rico was the one being rushed to the hospital.

"Skipper, what's going on? What happened?" It was Marlene who spoke voice wavering as she approached the leader of the now broken group. Without thinking Shelly drew closer as well, she even saw Julian and Maurice make their way over. Skipper swallowed thickly and it was then Shelly noticed his eyes were shining with unshed tears.

"R-Rico…he…he overdosed." With those words, Skipper broke down a horrid half-sob tearing from his chest and as those words settled over her, Shelly felt tears rolling down her own cheeks. This was her fault; she shouldn't have taken the doll. The first chance she go she would go and make things right.


	3. The Waiting Game (Who is to Blame?)

**I tried writing this chapter from Rico's POV about 6 times and found that I just couldn't do it, so instead it's from Kowalski's POV and it starts the morning after chapter two. This chapter is also a bit shorter than the others, but I didn't want to force it or stretch it out anymore than it should be, mostly because I'm sure everyone wants to see what happens to Rico and that will be chapter 4 for certain. **

**As a quick reminder, the 3rd installment is based on In the Line of Doody and a quick announcement that a new poll is up for the 4th installment, the 5th installment is whatever gets the second highest amount of votes. **

* * *

**A China Doll Love Story**

**Chapter Three: The Waiting Game (Who is to Blame?)**

_So sick he was gonna think  
The good lord would come take him  
I'm shaking him  
Wake up you son of a bitch! -F_ort Minor "Red to Black"

It had been at least 6 hours since Kowalski had gotten any sleep; he had only gone home once to shower and change. Skipper caught him in time to tell him the CENTRAAL had been informed of Rico's condition and he would be leaving for Washington DC in the next few days. The odds of Rico remaining a member of the Penguins and at the very least a free man were looking slim; that was even taking into consideration if he ever came out of his coma. Private had tried to be optimistic, after all, it had only been a few hours, but no one knew how long Rico had been lying in his studio before they had found him.

A shiver ran down Kowalski's spine, he had actually been the one to find Rico, his friend's fingertips tinted blue and reaching out for an empty prescription bottle inches away as the Lady in Red screamed down at him. Why couldn't he have seen how much Rico was suffering? The Costa Rican was his best friend after all. They had met 12 years ago when the team had consisted of Manfredi, Johnson, Skipper, and himself, he was fresh out of training and it had been his first major mission for the Penguins. The mission was to gather information on a criminal organization known as La Sombra del Diablo or The Devil's Own; instead, they found Rico, who was only 15 at the time, being used as a lab rat. He had been on Death's door when they saved him; in return, he joined CENTRAAL and became an official Penguin on his 18th birthday.

It had seemed odd at first, they were total opposites after all, but in other ways, they were nearly the same and like the last two pieces of the puzzle, they came together. Bonding over being cheated out of a true childhood, terrible sci-fi and action flicks, sushi, and the streak of madness that runs through their minds. They were incredibly close, which is why he just couldn't understand why this had happened. Had Rico overdosed with all intention of killing himself? Or was it a simple accident? Either way he couldn't help but want to blame himself and with that on his shoulders, he had never wanted a cigarette so bad in his life.

Of course what made it worse was his mind kept going back to if he hadn't woken up in the middle of night and noticed the distinct lack of snoring coming from the other room; he probably wouldn't be sitting in the hospital next to Rico and that was something he didn't want to think about.

Thankfully, he was pulled out of those thoughts by the sound of the door opening; he looked up expected Private or Marlene. Who he saw instead made his blood boil; he would have rather had Julian come through the door. "I really don't think you should have come here Shelly."

"I know I just wanted to see how he was, even though it's only been a few hours." She approached the bed slowly and Kowalski tensed the hand he had over Rico's wrist tightening ever so slightly, thumb right over the pulse point. The blonde had been a major problem over the last few weeks. It was as if she didn't understand the meaning of the word no, although Kowalski would be a hypocrite if looked down at her for it. He had been chasing after Doris for over 5 years now.

"He's in a coma, they don't know if he'll ever wake up, and if he does they have no idea what damage he might have." That was as watered down as he could get, even though he understood perfectly what was written on the charts and whispered to nurses; it filled him with terror. There was no way Rico could pull through this without any severe consequences to his mind and body.

"I'm sorry to hear that, I just don't understand why he'd do something like this to himself over a doll." Before responding Kowalski had to count to ten, if Skipper were there they'd be admitting Shelly to the hospital. This had been the real reason behind their opposition to Marlene setting Rico up with Shelly; he was a damaged man, which made him a dangerous man, and Rico needed someone who understood that. Someone who could handle the sudden mood changes and insomnia filled nights.

"It's not the doll; it's the memories that come with it. He's been in love with the memory of a dead woman for 6 years." The color drained from Shelly's face, something that he really should not have gotten enjoyment from seeing, but he still found himself talking wanting Shelly to understand the pain Rico must have gone through. "I can't give you all the details, because quite frankly I don't know all the details.

Nevertheless, 6 years ago Rico went on an undercover mission in Guatemala where there had been recent activity of an old crime syndicate that we thought had been taken care of in Chile six years before that. Anyway, his task was to protect a woman who had once been involved in one of the gangs associated in the syndicate. Unfortunately, something went wrong three months in; Rico went off grid for three days. When we found him, he was more than half out of his mind, covered in blood, holding that doll and ready to fight anyone who tried to take it away from him.

All the information we got out of him was a name, Reina. She was the woman he had been sent to protect and she had been found dead in the apartment they had been sharing, she had been raped and her throat slit."

"Rico didn't…"Kowalski shook his head, maybe he should be a little nicer towards Shelly, it wasn't her fault the doll had gone missing causing Rico's past to come bubbling up. In fact, the psychologists at CENTRALL believed that had been the breaking point that caused Rico's split personality to emerge.

"No, he just killed the bastards that did." He looked over at the man and felt his throat tighten. Hadn't Rico been through enough? He thought back to the other night, just a day before the overdose.

"_Reina!" Rico's chocked shout woke him and he stumbled out of bed to check on the man. It had been like this ever since the doll had went missing. They had looked high and low for her, Skipper even suggesting that she had been possessed and simply walked away. How that man was their commanding officer was beyond him._

"_Rico?" The man in question looked up at him as he leaned against the doorframe trying to rub the sleep out of eyes. It was a pitiful sight; he could see Rico trembling and covered in sweat, a far off haunted look in his blue-green eyes. "I can see you shaking; do you want me to stay?" It was something they did when the other couldn't sleep or would have a nightmare. They'd share a bed or sneak down to the living room and watch TV together. The Skipper and Private didn't understand what it was like to be trapped inside your own head, unable to escape memories and dark thoughts._

"_Yeah." _

"_Move over." Kowalski had yawned sliding into Rico's bed and not giving it a second thought. It wasn't the first time they bunked together and it wouldn't be the last. _

"Kowalski?" Shelly's soft voice pulled him back and blinked, when had he started to cry?

"Sorry, it's just that Rico is my best friend. I should have paid more attention; I should have noticed how bad it had gotten. This is my fault." The words began to pour from his mouth and it felt like he couldn't stop them. He hated emotions, he could never figure out what to do, or how to react, even to his own.

"No, it's not your fault. It's mine." Kowalski wiped his eyes and watched in silent horror as Shelly opened her bag and pulled the doll out straightening the pink silk dress. He then stood from the plastic chair with wide eyes and took the doll, as if unable to believe it was real.

"How? Where?"

"I stole it, thinking that if Rico didn't have it, he would notice me." The anger didn't come; instead, it was like he had gone completely numb. Shelly had the doll all along; she could have given it back long before it had come to this. "I'm so sorry, if I had known; I would have never taken it." She was crying now, but Kowalski only shook his head.

"I think you should go." A heavy silence followed seconds after the door closed; leaving just Kowalski, Rico, and the doll that had started it all. The doll that didn't matter anymore, it was too late. At least he could stop blaming himself, but everything was far from over, it seemed they would just have wait it out. "Rico, I doubt if you can hear me, but if you have to let go of anything, please let go your past and come back to your present, back to Park Avenue and the life you have here." Tear tears started again and Kowalski hardly noticed Private and Marlene enter the room. "Come back to me."


	4. Stories & Memories, A Thin Line Divides

**This chapter was a bit difficult to put together, but I'm happy with how it turned out, even if I feel that I could have written it a bit differently to make it better. However you do learn a good chunk of Kowalski's past, which fun fact time, Kowalski is the Polish equivalent to Smith since kowal sometimes spelled koval means blacksmith. _The More You Know! _Anyway all that is left is the epilogue which I will get up sometime soon, like this week soon.**

**In regards to In the Line of Doody, I plan on condensing it**** to a one-shot, a lengthy one-shot though. Not quite sure when I'll get it up, but I will be working on it this week. Also the poll is now closed and I am happy to say that Mr. Tux will come after In the Line of Doody and after will be Over Phil. And so that you're not waiting forever without hearing about the misadventures of Park Avenue, I have a collection of drabbles and prompts called Slices of Life that all take place in the Park Avenue series. Which I will be accepting requests for through my tumblr and on here through PMs so please feel free to send a request or two, I don't bite.  
**

******Warnings for this story: mentions of mental illness, mildly graphic descriptions of blood and gore, and some suggestive content. This chapter has mentions of child abuse, domestic abuse, and alcoholism.**

* * *

**A China Doll Love Story**

**Chapter Four: Stories and Memories, A Thin Line Divides**

_All the words left unspoken  
Are the pages I write  
On my knees, and I'm hoping  
That someone holds me tonight  
Hold me tonight –_Hollywood Undead "Outside"

The doctors all said it was miracle when he woke up; there had been no permanent damage, at least not physical damage.

Even now, 2 weeks later, he couldn't find an explanation for what had happened or what he had been thinking. Other than, he had wanted the memories to stop, the voices to stop, he had just wanted everything to stop. He spent a week in the mental ward going through countless rounds of therapy before he was released only to learn that CENTRAAL had ruled him unfit for duty and would have to go to HQ for an evaluation, which that was only a week away. Fear passed through him at the thought; if he wasn't cleared he would probably be discharged and tried for crimes against humanity.

He could only hope that the agents in charge would see that he had gotten better and wasn't a danger to himself or others. Mostly because he had gotten better even if he couldn't say so outright, in his coma he hadn't been able to escape the memories he had been holding back and now was at peace with what happened, to an extent or almost not at all. At least he didn't lose his mind; he could go back and pull those memories forward.

_The walk to the apartment from the bar wasn't horribly far; maybe four blocks if that, still he had been hesitant about letting Reina walk it alone. The leader of her old gang had been getting closer to finding her and the second he did, she would be dead. It had easily been his biggest fear a week into his mission; the second Reina had thrown her drink in his face for trying to be fresh with her. He had bought her a second drink in apology and then found himself falling in love. _

_A chuckle escaped him, after all Reina could hold her own, anyone who was one of La Sombra del Diablo could. That was something he knew from firsthand experience, he swallowed thickly the memory of his initiation to the group trying to creep into his mind. Nevertheless, he pushed it away only to feel something much worse settle over him._

_Upon seeing the small apartment building, he ran, suddenly fearing the worst. He should have never let Reina leave without him. He took the stairs two at a time until he reached their floor, then his stomach twisted the door to their apartment wide open, it looked like it had been forced open. Entering the apartment with caution Rico realized how quiet it was, after clearing the kitchen and living area he went to the bedroom and what he saw make him sick. _

_Reina was lying in the center of their bed, too still, too quiet, clothes torn and bloody. With a trembling hand he reached out and closed her eyes, fingers trailing down to cheek (her skin was cold, too cold) stopping before the cut stretching across her neck._

Rico let go of the memory, coming back to the present and taking comfort in the harsh sounds of New York and the bitter chill of the wind as he sat on the edge of the pool watching the water ripple and morph the moon's reflection into odd shapes. His fingers twitched and he fought the urge to charge downstairs and smash his doll to pieces, something he had wanted to do upon seeing it when he woke up. It made him sick to think about how attached he had gotten to it, how he twisted the memory of the woman he loved and put it in to a piece of porcelain. Death certainly has a funny way of putting everything into perspective.

The sharp yet musty scent of cigarette smoke assaulted his senses and he looked over to see that Kowalski had joined him at the pool, only he was wearing shorts so his could dip his legs in the water. He frowned at the sight, if there was one thing Rico couldn't stand it was cigarettes; smoking was a disgusting habit in his opinion, but more importantly how had Kowalski snuck up on him?

"Gross." he grunted causing the taller man to look down sheepishly as he tapped the cigarette and watched the loose ash fall.

"Sorry, Rico, you just missed a big fight and my feathers have been in quite a kerfuffle as of late." A big fight? Well he knew exactly who and what it was about. Coming home had been heaven; everyone had been there to welcome him back. It was nice feeling, but after the first week, everything started to change. Everyone was cautious around him, choosing words carefully, and popping in at random times to ask if he was okay. It was amazing he had been able to use the bathroom without someone going with him.

The worst was how they tried to ask the one question that everyone wanted to know the answer to, but they never asked him outright. As if they didn't believe that he did not intend to kill himself, he had never been the suicidal type. Kowalski had been the only one on the team to believe him or really the only one who didn't doubt his answer outside of therapy.

Or maybe he should say the worst was how Skipper would talk like he wasn't there; Private would do it at times, but not as often as Skipper. Like no one on the team trusted him outside of Kowalski, which to be honest wasn't a surprising reaction, but after 12 years?

"About me?" he asked anyway and Kowalski let out a long-suffering sigh confirming what he already knew.

"Yeah, but it's not your fault, Skipper is blaming himself and Private…well you know." It was Rico's turn to sigh then, it wasn't that Private hated him. The youngest member of the team just didn't exactly trust him; they had every different backgrounds and had grown up in very different environments and had very different attitudes about what was right and what was wrong. They were at odds most of the times and Rico had no doubt that Private believed he was completely off his rocker and should be put away.

"Yeah, can't help it." And he couldn't, he'd been kidnapped at the tender age of five and raised on the streets, by the age of seven he was pickpocketing 10-15 people day. At 10 years old, he had learned to fight and hold a gun and at 13, he killed his first person. Yet, it was either learn to be a killer or be killed.

"Don't take it to heart, if Private even had a life like mine he would be more understanding. It might be easier if you just told everyone what happened."

"Can't, too scared." That was the truth he was too afraid to fully talk about his past, Kowalski smiled at him sadly before grinding his cigarette out.

"I've never told anyone the full story of how my mother died or why I detest my father, but I guess there's always a first for everything." Then Kowalski told him, told him everything about growing up in the empty mountains of Pennsylvania. Explaining how his father had served during the end of Vietnam War and returned home with a taste for alcohol to cope with his nightmares. His mother was only 18 when she met his father at a run-down bar they married a few weeks later, after his mother discovered she was pregnant and his father stopped drinking for a bit. "Everything was going smoothly until my mother suffered a miscarriage and my father went back to the bottle. He became cruel and harsh after that, sometimes even growing horribly violent. My mother felt trapped and had no way to escape, the backlash she would get from wanting a divorce would have been worse than the occasional bruise." Kowalski had to pause and it was obvious how hard it was getting for Kowalski to continue. He took this friends arm turning it so the palm was up and began to trace letters on to the pale skin, which contrasted sharply against his tan fingers.

_Its okay, you don't have to continue if you don't want to. _Rico suppressed his urge to smirk at the surprise on Kowalski's face. _Words are easier to write than speak, when you write words they become a story when you speak words they become a memory._

Kowalski understood and took Rico's arm and began to write a story that no one would ever see. It took some time but Rico was able to piece it together and soon they were in their own silent world.

_A few years passed and before my mother became pregnant. I hadn't exactly been planned since my father was 36 and my mother was 28, but my father's drinking never lessened in fact it grew worse. My mother tried to protect by sending me to her parents, who only spoke Slovak. Unfortunately, they passed away when I was maybe only three and my mother couldn't protect me anymore that way. Instead, she took whatever punishment had been meant for me, but that only lasted for a year._

_You miss her don't you?_

_There's not a day that I don't think about her being here instead of my father. I was almost free from his abuse once. He had gotten too rough and ended up breaking my mother's arm, he had no choice but to take her to a hospital, but he was drunk of course and wrecked on the way there. He should have been the one who died instead it was my mother. I was left to take the full force of his abuse, instead of getting hugs; I would get beer bottles thrown at me. _

_I'm sorry._

_That's all in the past now, but once I started school things started to get better, I advanced through my classes and once I was recognized by the school and media as a genius my father didn't dare lay a hand on me._

As Kowalski's story came to an end Rico felt himself wanting to tell Kowalski what had happened that night and what had happened years before. So he did; it felt like hours had passed and his eyes were burning with unshed tears. Even then, it was like a dam breaking, everything Rico had never said was out in the open or really, out on Kowalski's skin. He even told his friend about the dream he had of Reina during his coma, where she told him that enough was enough, he had his own life to live and couldn't keep holding on to her. He confessed he was terrified about next week and didn't want to lose his team and the life he had because of them.

Kowalski pulled him into an unexpected embrace once it was all said and done, it caught Rico off guard, hugging wasn't Kowalski's thing.

"I won't let them take you away and if they do, they better have room for me." At those words, Rico returned the hug not caring that he was crying.

"Thank you for believing me." The words were a harsh whisper; he knew Kowalski meant what he had said. They stayed like that for what seemed liked hours before they broke apart wiping their faces and laughing at how Skipper would be scolding them for being so unmanly if he caught their moment. When they went down to retire for the night Rico never said a word but Kowalski climbed in the bed next to him. He only had a week until his evaluation and if at least one of his teammates believed him, he could accept whatever decision CENTRAAL made.


	5. Epilogue: It Could Work

**Hello everyone! Sorry this took me so long to finish, work really sucks and I've yet to have an uninterrupted free day to work on fictions. Although I have been working on them little by little. In fact I have a one-shot AU of Park Avenue in the works, In Another Time, Another Place. It was inspired by the lovely Dragones and her brilliant idea. Which you all will get a chance to look at/read once I get that posted. At some point in time.**

**As for the next part of Park Avenue, In the Line of Duty is about 37% percent written, is 60% outlined, Over Phil is 100% outlined, and thanks to Nightlightbee's suggestion, Snowmageddon is going to be the 6th installment of Park Avenue. **

**Now I just want a second to thank everyone who has reviewed, favorited, subscribed to the this story. It really means a lot to me, I've been writing fanfiction for over 5 years now, and knowing that you enjoy reading what I write, makes all the work/time I put into the stories worth it. The only thing I could want more is to be fandom-famous, but readers like you are more than enough to make my day.**

* * *

**Epilogue:**

**It Could Work**

_"Over and in, last call for sin_  
_While everyone's lost, the battle is won_  
_With all these things that I've done_  
_All these things that I've done" - The Killers "All These Things That I've Done"_

Shelly sighed into her herbal tea, the amber surface rippling as her breath ghosted over it. Last night there had been a huge party at The Groove celebrating Rico's return to the team, Marlene had invited her, but she made a thinly veiled excuse about starting to come down with something. When really there was no way she would be able to face Rico after what she did. She deserved to be alone for it, didn't she? This was nothing more than a firm reminder and grim lesson that she would forever be alone, that she was unlovable, and would die in a cold house only to be remembered as that crazy ostrich girl.

A knock on the door startled her, who could possibly be visiting? No one ever came to see her and no one ever would, especially if they found out what a horrible person she was. Maybe it was the Penguins coming to kill her. A laugh escaped her throat at the thought, it sounded like she was on the verge of hysterics and in a way she was. Killed by the Penguins? It wouldn't be a surprise if that actually happened. There was no reason why that wouldn't be a possibility and of course, no one would miss her either.

"Rico?" Fear gripped her tightly for a moment, she had only been joking to herself about death by Penguin. He smiled at her, it was a gentle smile and Shelly could feel herself melt a bit, at least until he spoke and her world shattered once more.

"Shelly, I know."

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. If I had known Rico, I would have never taken her." she could feel the tears running and the words kept coming. "You have to believe me, I had never intended for anything like that to happen. I was stupid and jealous and nothing will ever make up for what I did—"suddenly she was silenced by Rico's lips against hers. The kiss was brief lasting only a few seconds, but for her it felt like a lifetime. "Why?"

"I forgive you, I want to know you." He took her hands into his and Shelly was certain she was dreaming, how could he react so calmly? She was so confused and it seemed he could tell that she was and chuckled a bit. "Talk over coffee?"

"Right now?" He nodded and Shelly felt her cheeks heat up. Rico had basically asked her on a date, even after she had stolen his china doll. However she didn't want to get her hopes up, this was only coffee, and they hardly knew each other. Her actions weeks ago were desperate and reckless; it had left her with time to reflect on her life. Moreover, those self-help books helped quite a bit.

"Just let me go grab my purse."

_For the record, it didn't work out. After two weeks of dating they decided to remain friends, Shelly was too weird for even Rico. They also had nothing in common, but it was mostly too much weird for Rico. However rumor has it that Rico now has his eye on someone. As for Marlene, she was a bit disappointed to find out that they couldn't make it work, but she hasn't been deterred from playing Cupid. Also only Rico and Kowalski know that Shelly took the doll, besides Shelly herself, of course._


End file.
